Yorkshire Plodding

Take an ex-military 350 single with good tyres, great suspension and an electric leg, and make tracks for some of the most scenic green-lanes in England. Martin Peacock enjoys a delightful day in the Dales

I had not ridden off-road since my early teens. Public roads were not an option then; even a provisional license was well over a year away. I had no bike and not much idea of how to ride one. What I did have, though, was a couple of like-minded friends and access to an old orchard. This contained a dilapidated shed housing several equally dilapidated old bikes. I recall one being an Ariel, another possibly a Matchless. Both were in a sorry state, the Ariel had but one exhaust pipe for its twin ports but, like the possible Matchless, it was a mostly working motorcycle and we learned much from getting them running.

As you might imagine, what we really enjoyed was careering around our tree-lined circuit with what we liked to think was great verve – if not great speed. Surely a better use of our time than studying for the upcoming exams? We had no riding gear, just a watch for timing our runs and those gnarled old trees for crash barriers. It was a recipe for disaster, but we survived more or less unscathed and on our way to a lifelong love of bikes.

Fast forward several decades. Now I had the right kit, a suitable bike, many miles of experience and a license. My off-road skills, however, had developed not at all, as I found out after entering the Beamish Trophy Trial on my Matchless G80CS (you can read about it in RC120). This was a challenging and thoroughly chastening experience, enjoyable mostly from the sense of achievement and sheer delight riding around the North Pennines on a sunny day. Fortunately, the experience left me with no more than bruises and aching muscles plus a resolve to get better at trail riding.